As silent bells doth toll
by Ryen Francis L
Summary: the story of Clint and Natashas' marriage and the events leading up to it. T for now.
1. Chapter 1

As silent bells doth toll

Chapter 1

He snapped awake, quite alert and in tremendous pain. gasping and grinding his teeth together, light hands fluttered around his face, his neck, his wound, and slowly the pain went away, covered by a fog of morphine that was dripping into his blood. She was saying something, hovering above him, tiny signs of worry, invisible to all but him, on her porcelain features. He could not hear her, mumbling to him, soothing him, but he saw her lips move. He lifted his hand gently, and brushed her face, silenced her as he drifted back to sleep slowly, the massive amounts of morphine numbing his battered body. He didn't know what came over him, but in the last second before he fell asleep, he asked her a question that he could not hear the answer to. That question rendered the fearsome black widow speechless, stunned into contemplative silence.

...

As Clint fell back asleep, unchecked surprise echoed on Natasha's face. Clint Barton, her partner, the only person in the world she trusted unconditionally, who knew everything about her, her lover and so much more...he had asked that small question that rung in her ears. No! No, he must have been addled by the drugs, confused by pain and morphine, for No one could love the black widow enough for that. not enough to ask THAT.

...

She looks surprised, Clint thought as he fell asleep again.

'Hell, that even surprised me...why would I ask that? Why did I think she might possibly say yes? No one in the world has ever loved him enough for that, why  
would she?'

They were partners, and lovers, and so so close, and went together  
perfectly. they were the Black-Hawk.

...

He awoke again in the early morning nearly two days later, Natasha still right  
beside him, although she had changed clothes.

"How long have I been out?" He blinked and wriggled his toes, stretching and pulling.

"Two days. It's Thursday. They want to keep you for another two weeks.  
Ready to leave?" It was an unspoken rule that they did not stay in medical for more than 72 hours, ever, without the other one breaking them out. when they were both down for the count, they threatened doctors and scared the nurses until they were discharged.

"Yes, please. home sounds good." So she changed his bandages carefully,  
and re-wrapped the large gash tenderly in thick white gauze in loops around his torso, tight enough for travel but not so tight he could not breathe. She knew exactly how, she had been wrapping and stitching him up for years now. He carefully pulled a loose tee shirt and his purple pyjama pants on. Someone must have sent them from home. Then she lowered the hospital bed and heaved him into a wheelchair. It hurt a bit, But he was used to pain, and she was there, holding his arms. They wheeled right out of the medical bay, no one daring to stop them.

As they got on the elevator, everyone moved away, out of the elevator, stepping back to wait for the next car. The ride up was smooth, with their access cards giving the express priority, so the elevator stopped not once till they reached the top. And there, on the flight deck, Tony Stark was waiting, in his suit, next to a sleek, black, Stark Industries helli-jet.

"How are you, Birdy?" Tony took the wheelchair from Natasha and gently lifted it up, keeping Clint fairly balanced.

"Can you go clear us for Take off? I've got Bird Boy." Natasha nodded, and started off towards the air traffic controllers' tower. The Shield agents on deck scattered, not walking between her and the Jet, where he ward, her hawk, was. She was like a mother bear - only dangerous if you got near her child.

"You've been in Med bay for nearly three days, Clint. Natasha usually brings you home sooner than that. You okay?" Tony could be mean and callous, but he did care about his friends, and was usually nice to whoever was hurt.

"I'll be okay soon. four broken ribs and a ten inch, three deep knife wound. about forty Natasha stitches. She's going to want to redo them - she thinks the doctors are incompetent." Tony settled the wheelchair down and then picked up Clint, slowly, to settle him in the Co-Captains seat.

"All that, And I asked Natasha to marry me."


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Sorry that these chapters are so short, but you can have the next one tomorrow (or tonight if i get reviews! pleeeeeeease!)

Ch 2

Tony almost fell over, a shocked look on his face. "Sorry, What? did you really? How are you still alive?" He didn't think anyone, including Clint, could do that and not get the patented thigh choke.

"If I had killed him, Tony, I would have had to find a new partner." she had snuck up on them, silently climbing into the cockpit. Tony spun around, hands up and charging, face plate sliding down.

"Get out of the Jet, stark."

"Christ, Natasha," Tony said, lowering his hands as his face plate slid back up,Natasha moving around him to her seat, flipping switches to start up the helli-jet.

"So, are you going to say yes? 'Cause - "

"Out, Tony, or I will show you all the weaknesses in that suit of yours." Her voice was Icy cold and deadly serious. She softened a little, glancing at Clint, before she finished. "Clint a I need to talk."

"Yes, Ma'm!" He stepped out of the hatch, then flew out in front of the Jet. "Race you home!" His voice crackled over the intercom.

"Go away, Tony!" Clint glared up at the hovering man, who quickly flew off as the HelliJet rose. Clint settled in, adjusting his seat belt and waiting. Natasha needed to prepare herself for discussions like this, And he knew she would talk when she was ready.

"When you asked," Natasha said, voice flat and unemotional, "Did you mean it?" He looked toward her, not quite understanding. His brain was a little fuzzy, from the residual morphine, So she repeated herself. "Do you really want to marry me?" there was barley a pause, then Clint spoke.

"Yes, God yes, You mean everything to me, Nat. I love you, you know that, right? I want to marry you, Natasha. Please." his words came out in a bit of a jumble, just spilling out of his mouth as he stared at the unmoving Natasha.

And there they sat,in silence, the gears churning in Natasha's head. but after just a few minutes, she slowly reached out to the side with her right hand, which Clint took, lightly, apprehensively.

"Find some rings then, Clint."

"Is that A yes?" Clint smiled hugely, and Natasha squoze his hand.

"Yes."


	3. Chapter 3

Clint smiled even wider as she said yes, and kissed her hand. She smiled one of her rare, Clint only smiles, wide and true, and reaching up to her rest of their flight was silent, comfortable and happy, fingers twisted together. Clint slowly drifted off, the exhaustion a taking over, the past few days overwhelming him.

When she was sure he was asleep, she clicked on her Com system.

"Congratulations, sweetheart." Tony crackled over the intercom, cheeky and full of snark.

"Do you listen to everyones' private conversations?"

"Only the interesting ones." They were approaching the city now, skimming over the water, Tony flying low and close in front of the hellijet.

"Oh, you knew I was listening, Nat."

"I had hoped you might have a shred of moral decency, Tony."

Tony was oddly silent for a long moment, before speaking again. "He really loves you a lot, Nat. that little speech of his...most words I have ever heard him say without cracking a joke."

He was beautiful when he was asleep, peacefully crooked in his chair, with the hard lines battle etched in his forehead released their tension and smoothed out, a light smile on his lips. "Yes, Tony. I know."

...

The wounded archer stirred slightly, flexing and curling his toes and his fingertips, still twined with Natasha. He only awoke this slowly, blinking and yawning when he knew he was alone with Nat. He knew she would protect him. "Hey, Nat." he rubbed his eyes with his spare hand, wincing as the stitches and bandages pulled.

"Hi, Clint. what do you want for dinner? We are almost home."

Iron man joined the conversation again now that Clint was awake. "Yeah, the hurt guy gets preferential treatment. Cant say I would take your place though!" Clint sat up straighter and grinned.

"I can see the tower! Christ, I must have been out for a while. How about some of Banners' pasta a la Vodka? how does that sound to you, Nat?" He smiled widely at her, looking for all the world like a demonic cherub. He knew it was her favorite dish that anyone in the tower knew how to make. It wasn't his favorite, but as long as she was happy, he would eat nearly anything. the Live squid in Tokyo from a mission a year or two ago was the only thing he could remember that had crossed that line.

"Sounds great." she untangled her hand from Clints and reached up to turn on the Jet Com' system. "Headed in for the tower, please clear the landing pad." She used both hands to maneuver the jet down slowly.

"Come on, Stark, get out of the way!" Clint yelled at the Iron Man good naturedly, and Natasha smiled slightly. Stark danced around for a moment more before moving out from under the Jet that had almost lit down on top of him.

Natasha opened the door as the HelliJet's rotors slowed, and hopped down. "Grab him, please."

"Sure thing, Nat. or should I say Mrs. Barton?" He smirked at her, hood down, as she glared daggers at him.

"Actually, Tony, I don't think we will be trading names - It's her identity, you know? Natasha Romanoff, super secret sexy spy. Natasha Barton doesn't have the same...ring to it." Tony brought the wheelchair down as Clint was talking, then clambered back in to the Jet to get the Archer.

"Careful, Stark, or - "

He cut her off quickly as he smoothly exited the Jet, Clint in his arms. "Yeah, yeah, weak points in the armor, I remember. Can we go eat?" Clint winced as he was set down and the metal arms rubbed along his back.

"Ouch. hole in my side and fourty'leven bruises, Stark." As she tensed in automatic response to the fact that Clint was in pain, He tapped Natasha's' knee twice, and she relaxed at his touch. He didn't really want her to trounce Tony in a fight on the roof.

"Sorry, Clint! don't let your fiancee kill me!" he cowered in mock fear, and Clint laughed.

"Just a joke, Tony. can you tell Jarvis to send Virginia up?" Natasha said as she took the handles on the wheelchair and pushed him slowly towards the roof-top elevator.

"Already done, Ms Romanoff. Ms Potts is on her way now." the AI's voice was mildly startling, but Natasha didn't let it show.

"Since when does Jarvis speak into my Com link?" Natasha raised her eyebrows at Tony, who grinned.

"Since you got out of the Jet. you can talk to him when you are in the building and on top, now. pretty cool shit. Set it up after the battle last week when we had to wait on the elevator because Jarvis didn't know we were coming home."

The doors dinged and slid open just as they walked up, a stoic Pepper Potts inside. "Hi, guys. good to see you alive and well."

"Hi, Pep!" Clint beamed at the PA, he was in a grand mood after the whole proposal deal - and Natasha saying yes, and not killing him instead. or at least hurting him even more.

"Hi, Virginia." Natasha deftly maneuvered the wheelchair into the elevator. Pepper scooted around them to kiss Tony on the cheek, and he attempted to step in to the elevator with her.

"No, Tony. not in the suit, you will break the elevator. Again." Pepper hit him in the chest with her hands in an attempt to shoo him away. "Go take the suit off, Bruce said the pasta was almost ready."

"Fine, Pep." he leaned in just enough to kiss her again before backing out,smirking. Clint hit the doors closed button and then the button for the ninetieth floor, where the Avengers' kitchen and living room was. Tony had all of ninety three, his lab was in the basement, and he kept the eighty second as his "office". the rest of the avengers stayed on floors ninety two and ninety one, and their living room, gym, kitchen, and cinema, among other things, was on the ninetieth.

As the car smoothly slid down, Natasha hovered her hand over the stop car button, unsure, but Clint reached out and pressed it, then took her hand, squeezing gently.

"Virginia," Natasha began, Imploring Clint with her eyes to know if she should continue, and he squeezed her had in affirmation, so she carried on - " Virginia, I wanted to tell you first, since you have been such a friend to me. We are getting married."

Peppers eyes widened in surprise as she stared at Natasha, then looked at their twined fingers. Clint took in the expression on her face and laughed. "What?"

"Are you Serious, Natasha?" Pepper completely ignored Clint as she talked to Natasha. "Are you seriously going to marry him?" she was getting a little screechy and loud.

"Yes, Pepper." Natasha was calm in comparison with her friend, who was quite looked quite shocked out of her heels. then she smiled grandly, a huge, not-Pepper-Potts-at-all smile and leaped on her her friend.

"Oh my gosh, Natasha, yes! yes yes yes yes yes! Congratulations!" She was still clinging to her friend, arms wrapped around her neck as Clint laughed at the sight of the two women, one bewildered, one ecstatic. Natasha slowly hugged her friend back, before prying the redhead off of her.

"Thank you, pepper." Clint smiled at her, and she pinched his cheek.

"Oh, Clint, this is wonderful! You are going to be a perfect husband. right?" she winked at him as he rubbed his cheek.

"Yes, 'mam, pepper. of course."


End file.
